The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of aggression, gender differences, and its association with exposure to real-life violence among students in public universities in eastern Ethiopia. By employing an explanatory sequential mixed method design and a standardized instrument, the research involved 395 respondents from three public universities in the region. The findings indicated that exposure to real-life violence had significant positive correlations with physical aggression (r=0.40**), verbal aggression (r=0.60**), anger (r=0.58**), and hostility (r=0.76**), all statistically significant at p < 0.05. While minor gender differences were observed for physical aggression (Male = 3.27 and Female = 3.16), exposure to real-life violence was found to be strongly linked to a high prevalence of aggression in the target population. The study suggested the importance of educating families about parenting styles, discouraging aggressiveness, and involving psychologists in devising effective behavior change strategies for the benefit of university students.

Keywords: Exposure to Real Life Violence, Anger, Hostility, Verbal and Physical Aggression.